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 Remarks  of  FCC  Chairman  Michael  Powell 
 At  the  FCC  RURAL  WIRELESS  ISP  SHOWCASE  AND  WORKSHOP 
 November  4,  2003  Washington,  D.  C. 


 Thank  you  to  all  of  you  for  attending  this  important  FCC  Showcase  and  discussion  of  wireless  broadband  service  in  Rural  America. 
 I  would  also  like  to  acknowledge  and  thank  Georg  Serentschy,  Director  of  the  Austrian  Regulatory  Authority  for  Broadcasting  and  Telecommunications  for  joining  us  today. 
 Ensuring  that  all  Americans  are  connected  and  have  access  to  advanced  telecommunications  service  is  a  core  goal  at  the  heart  of  the  Commission’s  mission  as  defined  by 
 Congress  in  the  Communications  Act. 
 This  Commission  has  put  a  high  priority  on  making  sure  that  Americans  living  and  working  in  rural  communities  have  access  to  the  same  kind  of  high  quality  infrastructure  that  is 
 available  in  urban  and  suburban  America. 
 The  people  in  this  room  are  the  embodiment  of  my  goals  for  this  Commission  –  you  are  facilities-  based  broadband  providers  competing  in  the  marketplace  taking  advantage  of  our 
 deregulatory  spectrum  policies.  The  opportunities  in  rural  America  are  real  –  and  the  folks  in  this  room  are  taking  advantage  of  them. 


 I  recently  was  able  to  see  this  first  hand  when  I  traveled  to  Virginia’s  Blue  Ridge  Mountains  where  I  saw  an  example  of  what  your  entrepreneurial  spirit  and  new  technologies  can 
 deliver  for  rural  consumers  and  businesses. 
 Today,  a  new  generation  of  wireless  technologies  is  making  broadband  service  technically  feasible  at  reasonable  costs  and  affordable  rates. 


 That’s  why  were  are  here  today  --  to  showcase  and  hear  from  more  than  a  dozen  wireless  ISPs—  WISPs—  who  are  springing  up  all  over  the  country  –  from  the  Catskill  Mountains  in  New 
 York  to  Coffman  Cove,  Alaska  -  and  who  are  using  a  wide  range  of  both  licensed  and  license-exempt  diverse  technologies  to  provide  broadband  service  to  rural  consumers  and  businesses. 


 What  we  are  going  to  hear  about  today  is: 
 -  how  wireless  technologies—  licensed  and  unlicensed—  destroy  the  tyranny  of  high  cost  networks  in  low  density  areas. 


 -  how  a  variety  of  technology  approaches,  business  models,  applications,  and  government  programs  can  help  foster  rural  wireless  broadband; 
 -  how  our  rules  and  regulations  impact  rural  WISP  deployment;  and, 
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 -  what  we  can  do  to  further  the  deployment  of  these  new  networks  and  the  beneficial  services  that  use  them. 
 This  Commission  has  redoubled  its  efforts  to  develop  policies  that  enhance  communications  services  in  rural  America.  We  partnered  with  Rural  Utility  Service  to  facilitate 
 government  support  for  rural  communications,  and  we  recently  adopted  two  Notices  of  Proposed  Rulemaking  designed  to  foster  advanced  telecommunications  in  rural  America: 


 -  First,  the  Wireless  Telecommunications  Bureau’s  NPRM  on  how  we  can  clarify  rules  to  minimize  regulatory  costs  and  provide  incentives  to  serve  rural  markets;  and 
 -  Second,  the  Office  of  Engineering  and  Technology’s  NPRM  on  modified  power  limits,  new  technologies  such  as  smart  antennas,  and  streamlined  equipment  approval. 
 And  our  work  continues.  We  recently  completed  our  3G  proceeding  and  will  conclude  our  rulemaking  to  make  additional  spectrum  available  at  5  GHz.  In  addition,  we  will  soon 
 conclude  a  proceeding  to  reform  the  MMDS/  ITFS  spectrum  to  reflect  the  current  marketplace  and  technological  capabilities. 


 We  are  committed  more  than  ever  to  bringing  the  benefits  of  21  st  Century  communications  capabilities  to  rural  America. 
 I  know  that  some  of  you  have  come  very  long  distances  at  your  own  expense  to  share  your  experiences  with  others  who  are  providing  wireless  broadband  or  with  others  who  want  to 
 serve  their  local  communities. 
 I  also  want  to  especially  thank  the  Rural  Utility  Service  at  the  Department  of  Agriculture  for  their  participation  and  cooperation  in  today’s  workshop.  We  have  built  a  strong  partnership 
 with  the  RUS  over  the  last  year  and  appreciate  their  support  in  our  shared  responsibility  to  bring  rural  America  the  best  possible  communications. 


 Finally,  I  want  to  thank  the  fine  Commission  staff  under  the  leadership  of  Robert  Pepper,  Ed  Thomas  and  John  Muleta  who  have  made  this  Showcase  possible. 
 Technology  holds  the  answer  and  this  forum  is  just  one  installment  in  our  efforts  to  bring  that  vision  to  America  and  have  us  prosper  in  the  21  st  Century. 
 I’m  excited  you’re  here,  and  thank  you  for  your  participation. 
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